I scaled the heights of Bukit Timah this morning. Bukit Timah (which means “tin bearing hill” in Malay) is the highest point in Singapore. A sign at the top says that it took the first explorers in 1828 3 days to reach it from the city. It took me all of 20 minutes to reach the summit, but the paved paths gave me a slight advantage. The first explorers could see all the way to Fort Canning. I could see a sea of condos. On the way back to the parking lot I decided to take a side trail. And within minutes I was lost in the jungle. All humanity disappeared, the trail narrowed, the air thickened, and I continued to sweat. On an island with 5 million people, I get lost in the jungle on Bukit Timah for the next two hours! Luckily, this was a small preserve or I might not have been found for days (I now know why it took those first explorers so long). Along the way I saw (what must have been a spitting cobra) a snake and a herd (of what was certainly) killer monkeys that were contemplating chasing me down for dinner. They didn’t realize that I was contemplating monkey stew for dinner around a jungle fire had this adventure lasted much longer. Have you seen “Lost” where the jungle quivers and black smoke comes out and then they’re all attacked by a killer polar bear? That happened to me twice. Seriously. Or it could have just been the rivers of sweat stinging my eyes and blurring my vision. I knew I would find salvation soon because I was still on the island (I didn’t remember crossing an ocean), and my trail kept being redirected by signs that said “Keep Out – Singapore Army Firing Range”. You know the one – red sign, one man with a gun aimed at the other who has his arms raised. I was the one with the arms raised in submission. As I finally stumbled back to the parking lot and set off my car alarm I remembered… My phone has a GPS.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
February 2, 2010
I scaled the heights of Bukit Timah this morning. Bukit Timah (which means “tin bearing hill” in Malay) is the highest point in Singapore. A sign at the top says that it took the first explorers in 1828 3 days to reach it from the city. It took me all of 20 minutes to reach the summit, but the paved paths gave me a slight advantage. The first explorers could see all the way to Fort Canning. I could see a sea of condos. On the way back to the parking lot I decided to take a side trail. And within minutes I was lost in the jungle. All humanity disappeared, the trail narrowed, the air thickened, and I continued to sweat. On an island with 5 million people, I get lost in the jungle on Bukit Timah for the next two hours! Luckily, this was a small preserve or I might not have been found for days (I now know why it took those first explorers so long). Along the way I saw (what must have been a spitting cobra) a snake and a herd (of what was certainly) killer monkeys that were contemplating chasing me down for dinner. They didn’t realize that I was contemplating monkey stew for dinner around a jungle fire had this adventure lasted much longer. Have you seen “Lost” where the jungle quivers and black smoke comes out and then they’re all attacked by a killer polar bear? That happened to me twice. Seriously. Or it could have just been the rivers of sweat stinging my eyes and blurring my vision. I knew I would find salvation soon because I was still on the island (I didn’t remember crossing an ocean), and my trail kept being redirected by signs that said “Keep Out – Singapore Army Firing Range”. You know the one – red sign, one man with a gun aimed at the other who has his arms raised. I was the one with the arms raised in submission. As I finally stumbled back to the parking lot and set off my car alarm I remembered… My phone has a GPS.
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